Have you ever wondered what a writing coach is?



As you can imagine, I get asked this a lot. I mean, it is baked into my branding, and I love sharing insights I've gained over my years of coaching.



Let's start with the simplest, broadest definition of what a writing coach is and does:



A writing coach provides you with input and support designed to close the gap between where you are as a writer and where you want to be.



I coauthored the book On Being a Writer with Charity Singleton Craig (2014), and our editor used similar language on the back cover copy of the book and in marketing materials:



Let this book act as your personal coach, to explore the writing life you already have and the writing life you wish for, and close the gap between the two.1



That phrasing captures the foundational purpose and core intent of this coaching role in a writer's life, so I adapted it here.



And as a writing coach myself for over a decade, I can confirm that this is indeed a high-level description of writing coaching.



Differences in Writing Coaches



Every coach approaches the work differently based on their experience, background, training, and philosophy. As a result, not every coach will feel like the right fit for you.



In fact, you may need one kind of coach at one stage in your writing journey and another kind of coach later.



Bottom line: you want to find someone ready to address your current goals and challenges.



Writing Coaches Are Not...



To begin to understand what a writing coach is and does, let's look at what a writing coach isn't.



➤ Writing coaches are not editors



A coach may have been and may still be an editor. They may offer both services and, thus, be both a coach and an editor. They may also offer editorial input within their coaching style. But these are two different services, so writing coaches are not editors while they are coaching.



➤ Writing coaches are not agents



A coach may have been and may still be an agent. But these two services must be distinct and separate, since authors never pay for representation. If you find an agent who offers coaching, be sure the service you're paying for is coaching.



➤ Writing coaches are not ghostwriters



A coach may have been a ghostwriter and may still offer ghostwriting as a separate service, but a coach's role is not to collaborate or do any of the writing for you. You're the writer!



➤ Writing coaches are not social media managers or designers



A coach may have personal experience and success in social media, and offer ideas to increase engagement with followers. They may recommend social media managers and designers. But writers don't hire coaches to set up marketing campaigns or design Instagram images.



➤ Writing coaches are not marketing and promotion specialists, publicists, or launch team organizers



A coach may offer marketing, publicity, or launch team services in addition to coaching. Authors who become coaches may pass along insights from their own marketing and publicity experience. But when coaching a client, they are not marketing or publicizing their client’s work or organizing a launch team.



➤ Writing coaches are not mentors



My writing mentors—I've had at least five—invested time in me, guiding and steering me through phases in my career, and from those relationships, I know that a coach's advice might feel like the advice you've gotten from a mentor. A coach might even have a mentor. You yourself might have both a mentor and a coach. Despite the similarities, however, a writing coach is not the same as a mentor.



➤ Writing coaches are not teachers



A coach may have been—or still be—an English teacher or a professor, and a coach may also, separately, teach through courses, conferences, and workshops. I suppose a coach may informally teach through a one-on-one session. But coaches are different from teachers.



Writing Coaches Complement Other Roles